Cleaners made "absolutely minging" findings in a "hoarder's" flat more than a year before a woman's dismembered body was discovered in the pensioner's freezer, a court has heard. Delia McInerney was found dead in George Gordon's flat on Gerards Court in St Helens alongside her five "beloved" guinea pigs, who he is alleged to have drowned, in January this year.
But the 62-year-old, from Anfield, was said to have been killed as long ago as April 2023, having apparently been hit over the head with a hammer. She had supposedly been planning to move to Portugal to begin a "new life" only days later.
Gordon meanwhile bought a sledgehammer and electric handsaw from eBay in the weeks before Ms McInerney's death before stealing thousands of pounds from her bank account and taking out a £10,000 loan in her name. The 65-year-old is currently on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of her murder.
Cleaners Describe 'Hoarder's Address'
Junior prosecution counsel Katy Appleton today read the jury of five men and seven women a statement from Steve Edwards, the manager of a company called Decon's, which carried out a deep clean at Gordon's flat in December 2024 following complaints from neighbours to St Helens Council. He said that the defendant, who was also known as Chris, "wanted everything emptying apart from the fridge freezer in the hall" and described a carpet which he was instructed to remove as "absolutely minging".
Mr Edwards' statement added: "I would describe it as a hoarder's address. It's nothing unusual to me, but it was a complete disgrace and the smell was awful. I remember this address being particularly smelly. Chris told me I wasn't to enter his bedroom, as it was still full of items he needed to go through. The address was covered in food waste. There was rubbish waist high through the property."
With Mr Edwards and his colleagues having removed "rotten and sodden" furniture from the property as the cleaning was carried out over the course of two days, he recalled: "On both occasions, Chris didn't leave us alone. He would instruct my colleagues and I what to do."
"Chris was constantly on and off the phone, explaining everything that was happening. He led us to believe it was his partner he was speaking to. Chris was extremely chatty. I recall Chris was very elaborate about his wealth. He told us his partner was an artist, commissioned to do £20,000 drawings for people."
'Lives Made a Misery' by Smell
Jurors previously heard yesterday, Wednesday, that complaints regarding a "terrible and pervasive smell" from Gordon's flat were first raised with ward councillors by residents in October 2024, with this and an infestation of bluebottles having apparently "made their lives a misery". Neighbours were said to have reported that 14 guinea pigs were kept in the apartment, which was "full of rubbish".
Gordon meanwhile reportedly stated that the smell was due to him "now being in nappies due to him wetting himself". He subsequently refused to allow council workers access to his flat, but told them that he was "doubly incontinent and that was probably the smell".
With environmental control officer Melanie Miles called to give evidence from the witness box, she said of a visit to Gerards Court on October 17 2024: "There was a concern for the welfare of Mr Gordon, who introduced himself to me as Chris. I'd spoken to the complainant, Jean Jones, in a flat upstairs. Everybody was coming out of the flats, talking about the smell. I think there was a next door neighbour to Jean in end of life care."
"As I came down from Jean Jones' flat, I was met by Christopher on the stairs. I spoke to him and explained my reason for my visit. I knocked before I went to Jean Jones' address and got no answer."
"I had the conversation with Chris, in which I described my concerns. I was point blank refused access to the flat. I explained it was reported as a statutory nuisance and I needed to go in. It felt like he was attempting to tie me in knots and talk about everything else."
"I kept dragging it back to this same conversation, I'm worried about your animals and I'm worried about your health. I asked him about his disabilities. He was sweating profusely. I asked him did he want to sit down. He was telling me about his disabilities and he was sweating."
Self-Defence Claim
Mr Reid previously told the jury during the prosecution's opening last week: "On the 8th of January this year, the police attended the defendant George Gordon's flat in St Helens. They went there because concerns had been raised by a number of people and agencies about the whereabouts and wellbeing of Delia McInerney."
"Ms McInerney had been friends with the defendant for many years and spent much of her time living at his flat, although she had her own house in Liverpool and property abroad. Ms McInerney's friends had not seen her for some time. The defendant, for over 18 months, lied to them about her whereabouts and sometimes pretended to be Ms McInerney when communicating with her friends by phone messages or email."
"Unbeknown to them, but known very well to the defendant, Delia McInerney had died in April 2023 at the defendant's hands. Her dismembered body was found in a chest freezer in the defendant's flat on the 8th of January this year."
"In the meantime, the defendant fraudulently obtained thousands of pounds from her bank accounts and obtained a loan and credit cards in her name. The defendant admits that he killed Delia McInerney but claims, we understand, that he acted in self-defence."
Gordon, who is represented by Gordon Cole KC and Philip Tully, denies murder and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal after allegedly drowning five guinea pigs. The trial, before Mr Justice Goose, continues.
